Horry County, SC Business Licensing & Operations: Massage Establishments (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning classification
- Conditional use (§204.12)
- Therapist licensing
- State of South Carolina required
- Hours allowed
- 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
- Bathing services
- Prohibited
- Home-based massage
- Barred as a home occupation
Summary
Horry County zones therapeutic massage establishments as a conditional use across most commercial and many residential-adjacent districts, and Section 926 layers three conditions on top: state-licensed therapists only, no bathing services, and an 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. operating window.
Sec. 926. - Therapeutic massage establishments. 1.All massage therapists shall be licensed by the State of South Carolina; and2.Services offered and advertised shall not include any type of bathing services performed by an employee or agent of the establishment; and3.Hours of operation are limited to 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. ... Therapeutic massage. Any building, room, place, or establishment other than a regularly licensed and established hospital where nonmedical or nonsurgical manipulative exercises or devices are practiced upon the human body manually or otherwise by any person other than a licensed physician, surgeon, dentist, occupational or physical therapist, chiropractor, or osteopath with or without the use of therapeutic, electrical, or mechanical devices.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 88).
Full Breakdown
12 lists "Therapeutic Massage" as a conditional use across most of the districts on the chart, RE, AG2, AG3, the NC/CC/RCS/TRS/HC group, RE1 through RE4, OPI, EIO, PR1, PR2, ME1, ME2 and RC, referencing Sections 926 and 933 for the added standards; it isn't a permitted-by-right use anywhere on the chart. m. The ordinance's glossary defines "Therapeutic massage" broadly, covering any building, room, place or establishment other than a licensed hospital where nonmedical or nonsurgical manipulative exercises or devices are practiced on the human body by anyone other than a licensed physician, surgeon, dentist, occupational or physical therapist, chiropractor or osteopath, with or without therapeutic, electrical or mechanical devices. 1. Section 933 caps any commercial use placed in the FA district, massage included, at one structure no larger than 4,500 square feet.
Violations & Fines
Operating a massage establishment with unlicensed therapists, offering bathing services, running outside the 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. window, or operating as an unlicensed "uncertified massage service" out of a home violates Sections 926 and 927.C and is enforceable as a zoning misdemeanor under Section 114, punishable by up to $500 and 30 days, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a massage business operate 24 hours in Horry County?
Do massage therapists need a state license to work in Horry County?
Can I run a massage business out of my house?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Horry County
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